At the moment, marketing of gambling services other than Veikkaus is prohibited in Finland. There are various models in Europe for this issue, with countries like Italy and Belgium opting for a complete ban on gambling advertising. There are also various degrees of prohibition, for example, a ban on jerseys or sponsorship of sports teams, a ban on TV and radio advertising or a ban on advertising on the Internet. The Finnish ’Peluuri’, a helpline focused on addressing the harms of gaming and assisting with gambling problems, believes that strict regulation and a complete ban on sports sponsorship are necessary in terms of marketing.
Mika Kuismanen, CEO of Rahapeliala ry, which represents foreign gaming companies seeking licences for their business, and Velipekka Nummikoski, CEO of the state-owned gambling monopoly Veikkaus, agree that a total ban on marketing would be detrimental. They argue that a full ban would be artificial, diverting gaming activities outside the current system and complicating harm prevention efforts. Virve Marionneau, who has researched the harms of gambling at the University of Helsinki, supports stringent restrictions but acknowledges that when opening up the licensing market, strict limitations may not be realistic.
Discussions in the preparation of the reform focus on the details of restricting advertising, especially concerning minors. Implementing restrictions is challenging, given that audiences at for example sports events include people of all ages. The regulatory adjustments are considering factors such as time restrictions and limitations related to social media. In some countries athletes are prohibited from advertising gambling by law.
The government program states that the goal of the reform is to prevent and reduce the harms caused by gambling while simultaneously improving the channeling rate of Finland's gambling system. It remains to be seen how the public discourse around the issue develops and what marketing restrictions will ultimately be implemented. We at Finnish Procurement Lawyers closely monitor changes in the gambling industry, and we are here to assist you with any questions you may have!
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